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Auto-Owners Homeowners Insurance Review 2024
Assistant Assigning Editor | Auto insurance
Ben Moore is an assistant assigning editor and spokesperson who joined NerdWallet as a writer in 2020. An auto insurance authority, his past work has been featured in The Associated Press, The Chicago Sun-Times, MarketWatch, Nasdaq and Yahoo News. Ben has been quoted in Martha Stewart and Real Simple magazine, and he has appeared on local broadcast television. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Assistant Assigning Editor | Home insurance, renters insurance, pet insurance
Caitlin Constantine is an assigning editor at NerdWallet, focusing on homeowners, renters and pet insurance. She has more than 15 years of experience in digital media, including as the deputy managing editor at The Penny Hoarder and as a digital producer for a 24/7 news station based in the Tampa Bay area. Caitlin enjoys exploring the ways technology can help people become better informed about the world. She currently lives outside Asheville, North Carolina.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
Auto-Owners
5.0
Coverage optionsRatings are based on the number of coverage options a company offers in comparison to other insurers.
DiscountsRatings are based on the number of discounts a company offers in comparison to other insurers.
NAIC complaintsRatings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Pros
- Large number of discounts.
- Has optional specialty coverage not offered by many other insurers.
- Very few consumer complaints.
Cons
- No online quotes or claims submission.
- Available in only half of U.S. states.
Auto-Owners
5.0
Coverage optionsRatings are based on the number of coverage options a company offers in comparison to other insurers.
DiscountsRatings are based on the number of discounts a company offers in comparison to other insurers.
NAIC complaintsRatings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Pros
- Large number of discounts.
- Has optional specialty coverage not offered by many other insurers.
- Very few consumer complaints.
Cons
- No online quotes or claims submission.
- Available in only half of U.S. states.
About Auto-Owners home insurance
5.0
NerdWallet ratingAuto-Owners home insurance earned 5 out of 5 stars for overall performance. Despite its name, the company covers much more than cars. In fact, Auto-Owners home insurance is worth considering, thanks to a wide variety of coverage options and discounts. For example, its Homeowners Plus add-on includes coverage for appliance leaks that lead to property damage and wasted food in the event of a power failure.
Based on this star rating, Auto-Owners appears on NerdWallet's list of the Best Home Insurance Companies for 2024.
Our star ratings are based on consumer complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; financial strength grades from AM Best; coverage and discounts available; and the overall consumer experience. See our criteria for evaluating home insurance companies.
Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines that ensure fairness and accuracy in order to help you choose the financial products that work best for you. Here is a list of our partners, and here’s how we make money.
Where Auto-Owners home insurance stands out
Useful coverage options. Noteworthy endorsements include guaranteed replacement cost for the structure of your home and inland flood coverage, ideal for those in low-risk areas who don’t want to buy a separate federal flood insurance policy.
Customer satisfaction. Auto-Owners draws far fewer consumer complaints than expected for a company of its size, and it ranked above average for customer satisfaction in the 2023 home insurance study from J.D. Power, a consumer research firm.
Where Auto-Owners home insurance falls short
Online access. With Auto-Owners, you’ll need to contact an agent to get a quote or report a claim. (Some insurance companies allow you to complete these tasks online.)
Availability. Auto-Owners sells policies in only half of U.S. states.
State availability
Auto-Owners home insurance is available in 25 states.
Auto-Owners home insurance coverage
You can customize your homeowners policy with numerous add-ons, but below are the types of coverage that generally come standard:
Type of coverage | What it does |
|---|---|
Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home. | |
Covers damage to unattached structures such as sheds or fences. | |
Pays to repair or replace personal belongings such as furniture or clothing. | |
Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs. | |
Covers legal expenses and damages if you're responsible for injuries to other people or their property. | |
Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault. |
For more details, see What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
The Auto-Owners homeowners insurance policy has all the usual coverage, plus several options you can add to a standard policy:
Increased or guaranteed home replacement cost in case your dwelling coverage isn’t enough to repair or rebuild your home.
Water backup for damage caused by backed-up sewers or drains.
Special personal property to repair or replace your personal items in situations your homeowners insurance doesn't normally cover, like misplacement or stains.
Ordinance or law to bring your home up to current building codes after a covered event.
Homeowners Plus, a package that pays for damage from appliance leaks and spoiled food after a power outage, among other issues.
Equipment breakdown for electrical or mechanical failure of appliances in your home, such as HVAC units or personal computers.
Identity theft expense for costs up to $15,000 related to restoring your identity after it has been stolen. Learn more about identity theft insurance.
Cyber protection for help recovering lost or corrupted data or otherwise responding to online attacks.
Appliance seepage and leakage to pay for water leakage from a household appliance or interior sprinkler system.
Service line for damage to water, electric or other utility lines.
Personal property replacement cost coverage to make sure your claim payout is enough to buy brand-new replacements for stolen or destroyed belongings. (A standard policy pays only the actual cash value of your items, which may not be much for older belongings that have lost value over the years.)
Inland flood coverage for homeowners in low- or moderate-risk flood zones. This coverage is more expansive than what’s offered by the National Flood Insurance Program. For example, it includes personal belongings in your basement and will pay for you to live elsewhere if a flood makes your home uninhabitable. Learn more about flood insurance.
Auto-Owners home insurance rates
Auto-Owners' average home insurance rate is $1,890 per year, according to a NerdWallet analysis. That's less than the national average of $1,915.
Our sample rates are for 40-year-old homeowners with good credit, a $1,000 deductible, $300,000 in dwelling coverage and $300,000 in liability insurance. Your own rates will be different.
Discounts
Auto-Owners offers many discounts. Depending on where you live, you may be able to save on your policy by:
Choosing paperless billing and online payments.
Not making any claims.
Paying your premiums on time for at least three years.
Requesting a quote before your policy expires.
Not having a mortgage on your home.
Having an automatic water shut-off system in case of leaks.
Bundling your home insurance policy with certain other Auto-Owners insurance products.
Paying your annual premium in full, upfront.
Installing safety equipment like deadbolt locks and smoke detectors.
Having a qualifying backup generator.
Taking steps to protect your home from wind damage.
Consumer complaints
Auto-Owners had far fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for home insurance, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Consumer experience
Website: Home insurance quotes aren't available through Auto-Owners' website. If you live in a state where Auto-Owners provides coverage, you’ll need to contact an agent to finalize the rate. However, you can use the Auto-Owners site to learn about coverage, pay bills, see policy information and track claims.
App: The Auto-Owners app is available on Android and iOS. You can use it to pay bills, track claims and view policy documents.
Claims: To file a claim, you must contact your agent. Once the claim has been submitted, you can track it through the Auto-Owners website or mobile app. For advice, see how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: You can contact Auto-Owners at 800-346-0346 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. You can also contact the company by filling out an online form.
Auto-Owners home insurance: The bottom line
Auto-Owners may be a good fit if you live in one of the states it serves and you’re looking to work with an agent to find the right coverage.
Other home insurance companies to consider
Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other homeowners insurance companies:
Auto-Owners has a variety of insurance products, including auto insurance, renters insurance, and term and whole life insurance, among many others.
The only way you can get a quote for homeowners insurance with Auto-Owners is to contact one of its agents.
Yes, Auto-Owners offers coverage for mobile and manufactured homes. Read more about mobile home insurance.
Auto-Owners has a variety of insurance products, including
auto insurance
, renters insurance, and term and whole life insurance, among many others.
The only way you can get a quote for homeowners insurance with Auto-Owners is to contact one of its agents.
Yes, Auto-Owners offers coverage for mobile and manufactured homes. Read more about
mobile home insurance
.
Methodology
Homeowners insurance star ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews.
Here’s how we weighted each category to come up with our list of the best home insurance companies:
Consumer complaints (30%).
Financial strength (30%).
Coverage (20%).
Consumer experience (10%).
Discounts (10%).
Read our full ratings methodology for home insurance.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021-2023. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
Homeowners insurance rates methodology
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the U.S. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$300,000 in dwelling coverage.
$30,000 in other structures coverage.
$150,000 in personal property coverage.
$60,000 in loss of use coverage.
$300,000 in liability coverage.
$1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
In This Review . . .